The local administration in Bikaner is searching records of princely states to find details about the Japanese prisoners of war [POW] kept in Bikaner during World War II. According to sources, 1,400 to 1,500 Japanese POWs were kept in Bikaner.
According to the administration, the home ministry has sought details as Japan wanted to collect the details of its POWs. The Japanese were specially interested in the POWs who died here in Bikaner during their captivity. The British had captured 2,500 Japanese near Burma during World War II and had brought them to India and kept here between 1942 to 1946. “The Central government has asked us for details about Japanese POWs kept in Bikaner but it is difficult to find these records. We went through the state archives but it has few little details,” says Bikaner additional district magistrate Rajendra Mishra. “We gathered some information while contacting old soldiers and officials of the then princely states. We were informed that Japanese were kept in Bikaner between 1944 to 1945,” said Mr Mishra. The administration found an officer Chandar Singh, who served with the then princely state but he too died recently. Before his death, he only pointed out that only two or three Japanese had lost their lives when kept in Bikaner.
The Japanese were kept at the base of Ganga Risala, which was the centre of then state force’s camel regiment. The Bikaner state had a very old and efficient camel regiment raised in 1465 and it was named after the then Raja Gana Singh.
The local residents heard that Japanese were taken to then hospital where they engaged in war of words with the authorities and become so aggressive whenever they see any Britisher. ‘’We have a rich archive but it contains little detail about it because, the collection of records about the war and prisoners was shifted to Jabalpaur,” said a senior officer in Bikaner.
The state archives in Bikaner hold some invaluable documents and administrative records related to the then princely state.
The record is available in form of Bahis, Rukkas, Parwanas and letters.